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Where are the four former yogurt shop murder suspects now?

One of the suspects, Maurice Pierce, was killed by police in 2010.

By , Staff Writer
Michael Scott, left, and his wife Jeannine Scott, right, walk out of court as Robert Springsteen, center right,  and co-council Alexandra Gauthier, center, look on after prosecutors filed for dismissal of homicide indictments against them for the Yogurt Shop Murders in 167TH District Court in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October  28, 2009.
Michael Scott, left, and his wife Jeannine Scott, right, walk out of court as Robert Springsteen, center right, and co-council Alexandra Gauthier, center, look on after prosecutors filed for dismissal of homicide indictments against them for the Yogurt Shop Murders in 167TH District Court in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
American-Statesman 2009 file

Four young men were initially arrested in 1999 as suspects in the 1991 yogurt shop murders. They were Maurice Pierce, Forrest Welborn, Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen IV. Two of them, Scott and Springsteen, served prison time before their convictions were overturned. Pierce was killed by police in 2010 after attacking an officer in a separate incident.

Here is what we know about them now:

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Suspect Maurice Earl Pierce, right, listens to (attorney?) at the Yogurt shop murder trial scene Monday afternoon in Austin. November 27, 2000 

Suspect Maurice Earl Pierce, right, listens to (attorney?) at the Yogurt shop murder trial scene Monday afternoon in Austin. November 27, 2000 

Rebecca McEntee/Austin American-Statesman

Maurice Pierce

Pierce slashed an Austin police officer's trachea and carotid artery in December 2010 in an incident in North Austin near Parmer Lane.

The officer he attacked shot and killed Pierce in self defense, police said. The incident happened after police saw Pierce run a red light and tried to stop him.

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Lawyer Darlina Crowder, who represented Pierce on different criminal charges, told the American-Statesman at the time that he probably ran because of a fear of law enforcement that stemmed from his arrest and three-year jailing in the yogurt shop murders.

"He had been in jail for such a long time on those cases ... that every time he gets detained, he is traumatized and runs because he is so scared of the police," Crowder said.

Pierce was 16 years old when he was initially arrested at Northcross Mall with a .22-caliber handgun days after the yogurt shop killings. He later told police the pistol was used by his friend, 15-year-old Forrest Welborn, during the yogurt shop attack. Ballistics tests later showed that the gun was probably not used in the murders.

In 2003, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Pierce because of a lack of evidence.

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Maurice Pierce was swarmed by media as he exited the Travis County Correctional Complex at Del Valle after charges for capital murder in the Yogurt Shop case was dismissed by Travis Colunty District Attorney Ronald Earle Tuesday. Jan. 28, 2003

Maurice Pierce was swarmed by media as he exited the Travis County Correctional Complex at Del Valle after charges for capital murder in the Yogurt Shop case was dismissed by Travis Colunty District Attorney Ronald Earle Tuesday. Jan. 28, 2003

Sung Park/Austin American-Statesman

Forrest Welborn

Welborn was initially arrested in connection with the killings but two grand juries declined to indict him. Public records show that Welborn now lives in Manchaca. He did not reply to a request for comment on Friday. His stepmother, Dee Welborn, said on Friday that his sister had recently died.

"I wished she had lived long enough to see her brother's name had been cleared," said Welborn.

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She said Forrest was having a "tough" time with his sister's death. She declined further comment about his life.

 The certification hearing of yogurt-shop suspect Forrest Welborn, (left) began today in the 98th District Court in Austin. Maurice Pierce, not shown, was also in the courtroom. District Judge Jeanne Meurer will decide whether to certify these men to stand trial as adults. They were juveniles at the time of the slayings. November 29, 1999.

 The certification hearing of yogurt-shop suspect Forrest Welborn, (left) began today in the 98th District Court in Austin. Maurice Pierce, not shown, was also in the courtroom. District Judge Jeanne Meurer will decide whether to certify these men to stand trial as adults. They were juveniles at the time of the slayings. November 29, 1999.

David Kennedy/Austin American-Statesman

Robert Springsteen

Springsteen was tried and convicted of capital murder in 2001 in the yogurt shop killings despite his lawyers' arguments that his confession was coerced. He was sentenced to death.

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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his conviction in 2006 ruling his confession was improperly used without cross-examination.

Public records show that he now lives in West Virginia. He could not be reached on Friday for comment. One of his defense lawyers did not respond on Friday to a request for comment. 

Robert Springsteen, walks out of 167th District Court a free man after prosecutors filed for dismissal on the homicide indictments against him and Michael Scott for the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October  28, 2009.
Robert Springsteen, walks out of 167th District Court a free man after prosecutors filed for dismissal on the homicide indictments against him and Michael Scott for the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
American-Statesman 2009 file

Michael Scott

Scott was tried and convicted in 2002 of capital murder in the yogurt shop killings. He received a life sentence.

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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his conviction in 2007 on similar grounds as those used to dismiss the case against Springsteen.

He could not be located on Friday for comment.

His appeals' lawyer, Ariel Payan, said on Friday that Scott was living in South Austin about five years ago, the last time he talked to him.

"Being in prison was very traumatic for him," Payan said.

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Payan added that he was surprised police were able to identify another suspect. 

"It's an amazing thing that they were able to put the pieces together this late in time," he said. 

28 OCTOBER 2009- AMERICAN-STATESMAN/RODOLFO GONZALEZ-  Michael Scott, left, attorney Dexter Gilford, Robert Springsteen,and attorney Joe James Sawyer, left to right, look on as assistant district attorney Efrain De La Fuente offers them paperwork on the state's move for dismissal in the Yogurt Shop Murders in 167th District Court in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October  28, 2009.
28 OCTOBER 2009- AMERICAN-STATESMAN/RODOLFO GONZALEZ- Michael Scott, left, attorney Dexter Gilford, Robert Springsteen,and attorney Joe James Sawyer, left to right, look on as assistant district attorney Efrain De La Fuente offers them paperwork on the state's move for dismissal in the Yogurt Shop Murders in 167th District Court in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
Rodolfo Gonzalez
Photo of Claire Osborn
Williamson County Reporter

Claire Osborn covers cops, courts and general assignments in Austin. Her current beat is Williamson County. She covers county commissioners meetings, crime, city councils, health issues and human interest stories. Claire won the Star Breaking News Report of the Year in 2021 from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Star Breaking along with two other reporters and a videographer. The story was about Javier Ambler, a black man who died in 2019 in Williamson County after being tased multiple times by sheriff's deputies. The story resulted in charges against authorities for tampering with evidence.

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